2030 Goal Leader Update: >80% of Florida’s workforce has essential employability skills

As the Governor’s principal workforce policy board, CareerSource Florida is working collaboratively with state and business partners toward the Florida 2030 Blueprint goal of ensuring at least 80% of Florida’s workforce is equipped with essential employability skills.

The Florida Skills Gaps and Job Vacancy Study, commissioned by the CareerSource Florida Board of Directors, asked employers about the importance and availability of a range of foundational skills in four primary categories: communication, leadership, problem solving and reliability/time management. The 2018 study found Florida employers ranked gaps in foundational skills — twice as often as technical skills — as a primary barrier to business and economic growth. In 2021, the CareerSource Florida Board invested $1 million to provide foundational, also known as “soft” or essential, skills training to participants eligible for assistance under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. This funding is intended to address employability skills gaps that impede workforce readiness and competitiveness.

Under the Reimagining Education and Career Help (REACH) Act of 2021, CareerSource Florida has convened a Credentials Review Committee charged with identifying workforce credentials that are in demand by Florida businesses. The development of a Master Credentials List will illustrate the industry certifications, degrees, registered apprenticeships and licenses that clearly align to in-demand jobs, equip Floridians with in-demand skills and provide career pathways that lead to economic mobility and prosperity.